Guerrilla artist known for grotesque take on American politicians casts eye on Trump Administration

by admin | Posted on Friday, 19 October 2018 09:54 AM

“Bully, Culprit” by Artist Robbie Conal | REUTERS

A series of politically-charged portraits of U.S. President Donald Trump and his inner circle have been appearing on the streets of Los Angeles.

The works, usually seen plastered onto walls and bus stops, are the brainchild of acclaimed guerrilla street poster artist Robbie Conal and depict everyone from Trump himself to key members of his cabinet and his most senior advisors, always in an unflattering light and with a biting caption of political commentary.

With the U.S. ready to go to the polls on Nov. 6, Conal brought his street portraits together for an exhibition entitled “Cabinet of Horrors” at downtown LA’s Track 16 gallery.

“I thought well the election is coming up, let’s have a show of all of them and call it the cabinet of horrors,” said Conal, 74, who was born in New York City and now lives along the central California coast.

Aside from Trump, who in one portrait is depicted in a Russian military hat, Conal also takes aim in this current series at everyone from Vice President Mike Pence to former advisor Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway who is depicted with a Pinocchio nose.

Conal has previously lampooned Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Supreme Court justices and even Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama.

Conal’s art is normally put up around cities under the cover of darkness to evade authorities.

“It’s supposed to be in a place where it is not supposed to be and to kind of surprise people and tickle them when they are on their way to work or whatever they’re doing in their daily lives into thinking about these people who I think have abused their power and our name,” he explains.

(REUTERS) U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday (February 19) took a step towards creating a U.S. Space Force, a new branch of the military dedicated to handling threats in space.

Trump signed Space Policy Directive 4, which puts in place the foundation for a legislative initiative that could establish a Space Force as a new military service comparable to the U.S. Marines.

In an oval office signing ceremony, Trump said the Space Force is a national security priority.

“Today, I’m thrilled to sign a new order taking the next step to create the United States space force, so important. When you look at defense when you look at all of the other aspects of where the world will be some day, I mean this is the beginning is a very important process,” said Trump.

Trump also said that the U.S. has to be prepared against its adversaries and the Space Force is going to be a very big part of where the defense of the nation.

“Let’s say that defense of our nation is going to be America must be fully equipped to defend our vital interests, our adversaries are training forces and developing technology to undermine our security in space. And they’re working very hard at that, that’s why my administration has recognized space as a war fighting domain and made the creation of the Space Force a national security priority,” he added.

The memo directs the Department of Defense “to marshal its space resources to deter and counter threats in space,” through the establishment of the force that would be part of the Air Force, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

“We’re investing in new space capabilities to project military power and safeguard our nation’s interests especially when it comes to safety and defense. This directive calls on the Secretary of Defense to develop a legislative proposal that will establish the structure and authority of the Space Force as the sixth branch of the United States armed forces. That would mean a high ranking, the highest ranking person there would go on to be joint chiefs of staff, so it’s a very, very important deal,” Trump said.

According to Trump, the Space Force will organize, equip and train the next generation of warriors to deter aggression and defend the nation, its allies and American interests against hostile actions in the form of space and taking place in space.

“So we have a lot of things on the books, we have a lot of new defensive weapons and offensive weapons designed specifically for this and now we’re going to start taking advantage of. This is something they could have done sooner, but they decided to wait, and here I am and we’re going to do it and I’m very proud that during my administration we’re doing so much in space,” he noted.

Establishing the Space Force will require Congressional approval.

In August 2018, the Trump Administration announced an ambitious plan to usher in the force as the sixth branch of the military by 2020.

U.S. President Trump’s State of the Union speech in Washington, D.C., United States on February 5, 2019 | Reuters

The early portion of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday (February 5) was aimed at offering to create a spirit of compromise.

“I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans,” Trump said in the highly anticipated speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress, with his main Democratic adversary, new House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, watching over his shoulder.

“We must reject the politics of revenge resistance and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation compromise and the common good,” he said.

But whether Trump and his opponents would follow through was far from clear as both sides are entrenched in long-held positions and girding for 2020 elections.

Trump appeared in the House chamber just weeks after his demand for $5.7 billion in wall funds triggered a historic 35-day partial government shutdown that more than half of Americans blamed him for, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

Millions of Americans were expected to watch the address on television, giving Trump his biggest opportunity to date to explain why he believes a barrier is needed on the U.S. southern border with Mexico. The speech was delayed for a week because of the shutdown, which ended on Jan. 25. — Reuters

US President Donald Trump speaking in Arlington, Virgina, United States on January 17, 2019 | Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a revamped U.S. missile defense strategy on Thursday (January 17) that singles out North Korea as an ongoing and “extraordinary threat,” seven months after he declared the threat posed by Pyongyang had been eliminated.

The Missile Defense Review is a sweeping examination of efforts to shield the United States from enemy missiles. It highlights concerns about advancing capabilities by North Korea, Iran, Russia and China.

“While a possible new avenue to peace now exists with North Korea, it continues to pose an extraordinary threat and the United States must remain vigilant,” the report said.

For Trump, who is trying to revive efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal, the report’s release came at an awkward moment. A senior North Korean envoy was headed for Washington on Thursday for expected talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a possible encounter with Trump, a person familiar with the matter said.

Their talks, as well as a potential meeting with the president, could lead to an announcement of plans for a second U.S.-North Korea summit, the source told Reuters.

The Missile Defense Review recommended studying experimental technologies, including prospects for space-based weaponry that might be able to shoot down enemy missiles, a throwback to Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” initiative in the 1980s.

It also called for investments in space-based sensors that can better detect and track incoming missiles, and perhaps counter super-fast hypersonic technology, an area in which China has made major advances.

U.S. military officials have said U.S. missile defenses are primarily designed to counter attacks from countries with more limited arsenals, like North Korea, which U.S. intelligence officials believe is still advancing its nuclear program despite a halt to missile launches last year.

Pentagon officials contend that U.S. missiles defenses are too few to be able to counter a first-strike on the U.S. homeland by a major nuclear power like Russia or China. Washington hopes those countries will instead be deterred from attacks by America’s nuclear arsenal. — Reuters

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